In Between Days
by aka-elsie-snuffin
Summary: AU. Tiva. As Tony prepares to leave Baltimore PD for NCIS, he meets a mysterious woman by chance, changing the course of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I have been working on this AU for what seems like forever after thinking about whether Rule 12 would have applied if Tony and Ziva were already dating when they started working together. It was originally a one-shot, but I decided to expand it into chapters because it was getting long-winded and shortening how much I write at one time will help with motivation. For the sake of things making sense and Ziva not being like 17, we're going to pretend that Tony started at NCIS a bit later than in canon.

Big thanks to the NCIS Guidebook for the seasons 1 & 2 summaries so I don't actually have to watch those episodes ever again. Title of the piece is one of my favorite The Cure songs.

Chapter 1.

 _Yesterday I got so scared, I shivered like a child._

 _Yesterday away from you, it froze me deep inside._

 _Come back, come back,_

 _Don't walk away._

 _Come back, come back,_

 _Come back today._

 _Come back, come back,_

 _Why can't you see?_

 _Come back, come back,_

 _Come back today._

Tony sighs as he shuts off his computer and stands for the first time in what feels like hours. He stretches his arms over his head and his back pops in three different places. "Done," he declares with tired triumph.

His partner, Price, glances over. "Yeah, good for you. Traitor," he mumbles.

Tony grins at him. "Now now, partner, don't be like that. Think of it more as you'll have an in with a federal agency."

Price rolls his eyes. "Yeah, great. Like NC-whatever is going to be a lot of help considering I'd never heard of them before."

Tony holsters his gun and pats his pockets to feel for his keys and wallet. "Okay, Officer Grumpy, I'll leave you to your bitterness. See ya Monday." He waves at the red headed man, who grunts at him in response.

Price clearly isn't taking Tony's leaving well. They've been partners in the homicide unit of the Baltimore PD for two years, and next week was Tony's last. Then he moves to DC and starts at NCIS. He's looking forward to it but knows his partner generally doesn't like the feds. In Price's mind, they get all the good cases and better paychecks while the PDs do all the grunt work and take all the heat.

And maybe that's all true, but now Tony gets to benefit from it. And hey, he's an opportunist. Special Agent Gibbs had offered him a job. He had nothing tying him to Baltimore since Wendy left. He isn't particularly happy as a homicide detective. And yeah, the pay is better.

As he walks down the street toward his apartment, his thoughts turn to Wendy. She didn't just leave him - she left him at the alter. He can still feel the embarrassment as the guests looked at him with sympathy. Before he can spiral into self-pity, a short scream pierces the quiet of the side street. He whips his head, trying to figure out where it came from. Then he hears the sound of flesh hitting flesh and a barrage of shouted words that make no sense to him.

The noise comes from a half-lit alley on the next block, across the street. He sprints towards it, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the only car on the street, the driver honking at him. As he runs, he reaches for his gun in his shoulder holster and he slows as he enters the alley. "Hey! Baltimore PD!" he calls.

He can just make out the silhouettes of two people engaged in combat. In the dim light, he sees the glint of a knife blade being wielded by the bigger of the two. The other shadow is smaller, with a ponytail. The smaller person lands a kick to the other's gut. Before Tony can jump in, the larger shadow glances up - Tony gets a quick look at facial hair and a bulbous nose - and runs off.

The smaller person, who Tony can now tell is a young woman, leans forward, breathing raggedly. She is dressed in running clothes and he sees a glint of gold around her neck. He holsters his gun and approaches. "Hey, are you okay?" he asks.

The woman replies, "I am fine," without looking up. She straightens after a moment and he sees a line of blood on her neck.

"No, you're not. You're bleeding," he says, pointing to her neck. She brings her hand up to the wound, then looks at the blood smeared on her hand.

"It is just a scratch. I am fine," she repeats. He notices that her voice is accented. Upon seeing the look on his face, she adds, "I have had worse."

"Maybe so, but we should at least get you to the precinct to get your statement and a description of the guy so we can put out a notice."

They stare at each other in a silent battle of wills. "What if this guy attacks some other person who can't defend themselves like you?" he asks pointedly.

She huffs out a sigh and relents. "Fine."

As they walk out of the alley and back down the sidewalk towards the precinct, Tony introduces himself. She gives her name only as Ziva. He sneaks glances at her under the streetlights that line their path. Her dark hair, gathered up into a ponytail, is curly, and she has a prominent widow's peak. Under the yellow lights, her skin glows the color of warmed honey and he finds himself wondering if her skin tastes as good. Mentally, he shakes his head at himself. He is still a police detective and she is a victim of a crime.

At the precinct, he finds a uniformed officer to take her statement and sit her down with the sketch artist. After she is escorted to a conference room, he goes back to his desk in the cramped office. Price is still there. "What, you've come back to gloat some more?" he asks.

"Uh, no," Tony responds with a snort. "I stumbled across an assault in progress and I escorted the victim here."

"Are you going to leave me with the paperwork?" he grumbles.

Tony rolls his eyes. "No, seeing as nobody died and we're in homicide, I delegated to a uniformed officer."

At this, Price visibly relaxes. "Woman victim?" At Tony's nod, he asks, "Hot?" Tony gives him a look and Price smirks. "Really hot."

He doesn't really have anything to do at his desk but shuffles some of the papers on his desk, flipping through random files, trying to hide the fact that he is waiting for the mystery victim, Ziva, to finish with her statement and session with the sketch artist. He got a look at the perp, so he might be able to help, he reasons.

After about an hour, he hears someone clear their throat and looks up. Ziva stands there, looking a bit unsure of herself. He hadn't heard her walk up. "Hopefully it wasn't too painful," he says. She gives him a blank look and he elaborates. "You know, the whole statement process. And the sketch artist, well, he can be kind of annoying with the details." He realizes he is rambling and shuts his mouth.

She gives him a tight smile. "No, it was fine. I am used to such processes. I wanted to thank you for your help," she says, still rather stiffly.

Price has perked up and he asks, "Where are you from?"

She glances over at him. "Israel," she says. "I must go."

As she is about to turn around, Tony touches her arm to stop her. She looks down at his hand on her arm and he drops it, then hands her a business card. "If you need anything, you can contact me at this number. For another week, anyhow. After that, you can call and ask for Detective Price here."

"Where are you going?" she asks, putting his card in her pocket.

Grimes speaks up. "The traitor is going to work for the feds."

"Don't mind him," Tony says quickly. "I took a job at NCIS. It stands for Naval-"

"Criminal Investigative Services, yes," she interrupts. "I am familiar with them."

He blinks. Why in the world would she be familiar with NCIS? Is she in the military? Of course not - she's from Israel.

He thinks back to the way she fought the perp and how unruffled she seemed about the whole thing, which he had chalked up to shock, but now he's not sure. Even now, she seems poised, like she wasn't just assaulted at knifepoint. But before he can ask how she's familiar with NCIS, she quickly says, "Anyways, thank you," and walks off.

Price snorts. "Definitely hot, but kind of intense."

"Yeah," Tony replies absently, staring after her. Intense but intriguing, and he can only hope that he will run into her again.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: A second chapter to keep you interested. I'll post another chapter tomorrow.

* * *

He doesn't need to wait long before he sees her again. On Monday morning, as he is organizing the mess of files on his desk, his phone rings. He answers it with his customary, "DiNozzo."

It's Ziva, the mysterious woman from the other night. Three or four jokes pop into his head but something tells him she might not appreciate them, so instead he listens as she invites to him to dinner that night to, as she put it, "Thank you properly for helping me out of a difficult situation."

He accepts and they agree on a seafood place that he claims is not half bad. Then he hangs up and looks around the office, grinning broadly.

"Oh, shut up," Price groans without looking up from his computer.

* * *

He asks her, out of the blue, while they are eating breakfast one day in the future, why she called him that day. "Not that I'm not glad you did," he adds hastily. "I just figured I was never going to see you again."

She frowns at his use of double negatives, like she always does, and then shrugs. "Honestly? I was feeling lonely, and I thought that we would be… compatible."

"So you called me because you were horny and wanted a little something-something?"

"Essentially, yes." She grins at him. "Does that bother you?"

He gives her an amused glance before standing to refill his coffee cup. "Nope." And as he passes by her, he drops a kiss onto the top of her head.

* * *

They meet outside the restaurant, him in the suit he wore to work and her all seduction and legs in what would likely be a regular dark green dress on anyone else. Her smile in greeting is equal parts genuine - at least, he thinks - and predatory, and he gets a sense of how this evening is going to end.

He brings the charm, and she keeps him talking, and by the time the check arrives, she knows his life story, minus Wendy - because he knows better than to bring that up on a first date - and he still doesn't know what she does for a living. It is clear she does this on purpose and he doesn't mind at first - he likes mysterious women - but by the time they are heading out of the restaurant, the detective in him needs to know.

"So I want to invite you over to my place," he starts slowly as they stand in the parking lot near his car. "But you know everything about me and I know nothing about you."

"What would you like to know?" She gives him a seductive smile, letting her accent get heavy, moving subtly closer to him.

He won't let her sidetrack him, even as she takes another small step closer to him and he gets a whiff of her perfume. "What do you do for a living?"

She doesn't seem surprised by his question. "I am a stewardess," she almost purrs, her lithe body wafting ever so much closer to him.

"That's a lie," he says, giving her a wide grin, not intimidated by her invasion of his personal space. "For one, they call themselves flight attendants now. Seriously. I want to know why you were able to fight off an assailant twice your size without batting an eyelash."

She hesitates, her seductive act wavering for the first time all evening. Just as he starts thinking that she is going to turn around and leave without answering his question, she speaks, her voice suddenly almost flat. "I work for Mossad."

It's clear that she expects _Mossad_ to trigger a reaction from him, but while the name sounds familiar, he can't quite place what it is. She blinks and adds, "Israeli intelligence."

"Oh. So you're a spy?" Unbidden, the James Bond theme song starts playing in his head. He resists the urge to hum.

"Something like that," she responds, her voice silky smooth again. She takes another step toward him, effectively pinning him against his car. "Are we going to keep talking or are we going to your place?"

He wants to tell her that those things don't need to be mutually exclusive, but her proximity and the obvious way she's coming on to him dulls his brain and he blindly fumbles to open the passenger door for her. The smile she gives him as she slips into the car is almost triumphant.

* * *

As soon as they walk into his apartment, she takes control. At first, he playfully tries to gain the upper hand, but even in the dark, he can see her look of disapproval, and so he acquiesces. It turns out to be a good move for him because she somehow knows exactly what he likes and how he likes it, and it's clear from the sounds coming out of her mouth that she is enjoying herself as well.

Then they're on the floor in his living room, surrounded by half packed boxes. Her gold Star of David necklace reflects every bit of light that hits it, and as she moves on top of him, it mesmerizes him until she does something with her hips that refocuses his attention.

After, as they lay sprawled out on the carpet, breathing heavily, she says, "Explain to me why you have a twin bed."

He gives her the Cliffs' Notes version - he lived with someone, they broke up, he had to quickly find a new place to live and buy a new mattress, and twin beds are cheaper. Then he just never bothered to upgrade.

When she inquiries why, he shrugs and says, "It's a really comfortable bed."

She seems to accept this. He waits for questions about the woman with whom he lived but they don't come.

After a period of silence, she gets up off the floor, naked, and says, "Let's see how comfortable this bed is," then walks to his bedroom. He scrambles to follow.

Two adults in a twin sized bed is a tight fit at best, but she clearly doesn't mind him invading her personal space, and they sleep. Or, he does, and he assumes she does as well.

* * *

Later, he learns that she did not sleep much, in those days. Too on alert, too prepared for some unknown danger. Especially when sleeping somewhere foreign, where a gun couldn't be tucked under her pillow, a knife couldn't be slipped under the mattress.

It took months before he could convince her that the knife under the mattress was unnecessary when she hid a bevy of weapons in nightstands, dressers, and scattered around the rest of the apartment.

And, he reminds her, she herself is a weapon.

Eventually he adjusts to her ways and stops jumping whenever he finds a weapon somewhere unexpected.

* * *

The next morning, he wakes to the feeling of the bed shifting next to him. He reaches out an arm and connects with flesh. Her bare thigh. He strokes the soft skin appreciatively. "It's too early to be awake," he murmurs. "Come back here."

Instead, she stands up and walks out of the room. He sits up, wondering if she is going to leave without saying anything or at least leaving her phone number, but she returns shortly wearing her green dress. "I have to catch my plane," she explains as she wrangles her hair into a ponytail without looking in a mirror.

It takes him a moment but then his sleep-addled mind recalls that she doesn't live here. "Am I going to see you again?"

She arches an eyebrow at him. "Do I look like a fortune teller?"

"Let me rephrase. I want to see you again."

"I put your cell number in my phone. I will call you the next time I am in DC, yes?"

He blinks. "I never gave you my cell -." He stops. "You know what, I don't care as long as you call."

She flashes him one last smile and then she is gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Enjoy! Please leave feedback, it keeps me going.

To answer a question from the comments about whether I'm going to follow the events of the series or go somewhere else, my answer is somewhere in between. Some things will still happen but the events that follow will be different because Ziva is involved with Tony already.

* * *

Chapter 3

He moves to DC and starts working at NCIS. His life becomes a regular routine of "We got a dead body" and slaps on the back of his head from Gibbs.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs, his new boss, is a regular Clint Eastwood. Former Marine, monosyllabic, ice blue eyes that see through every facade, and - thankfully - a great investigator.

The first apartment in which he lives is, it turns out, terrible. "What you get when you rent sight unseen," Gibbs says when Tony complains about the noise and the possible cockroach he saw in the hallway.

They catch a case - a Navy officer shot dead in his apartment in Georgetown. "Now this is a place," Tony declares as he takes photos of the crime scene. High ceilings, dark wood floors, crown molding, doorman in the lobby. Gibbs notes that, with the owner dead, it will likely be on the market soon. "Just put a rug or a piano over the blood stain."

And so that is how, four months into his tenure at NCIS, he finds himself the owner of a nice one bedroom apartment in Georgetown, complete with a strategically placed piano.

Through it all, he thinks occasionally about the dark haired woman with the sly smile and sparkling eyes. She doesn't get in touch with him and he eventually stops hoping that every text message notification that pops up on his phone is from her.

Even still, when he closes his eyes, he can see the gold necklace glinting in the light that filtered in through his window in his apartment in Baltimore.

* * *

She pops back into his life unexpectedly.

He and Gibbs just solved a case where the husband killed his Navy wife for some convoluted reason straight out of a Scorsese film. Tony hasn't slept in 36 hours. By some miracle, he manages to drive his car home and park it in the street without hitting anyone or anything. As he approaches the front door of his building, he sees a slim, dark haired figure. He recognizes the widow's peak immediately.

"'Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine,'" he quotes with a grin as he walks up to her.

She furrows her brow. "What are you talking about? This is your apartment, yes? Not a gin joint?"

His grin gets wider. "It's a quote from Casablanca."

"Oh yes, you are a movie bluff."

"Buff, not bluff," he corrects automatically before adding, "Hi."

That smile he'd been dreaming about appears. "I was hoping you'd call," he says.

"I was in town, decided to surprise you," she replies. "You are surprised, yes?"

"You betcha, Sweetcheeks." Then he pauses. "How'd you know where I live?"

Her smile turns into a smirk. "I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you."

He blinks. "Top Gun?" he guesses.

Off her blank look, he realizes she wasn't quoting a movie. "No, if I revealed my sources, I would actually have to kill you," she explains. When he gulps visibly, she gives a quick laugh.

"On that note," he says, recovering, "Want to grab dinner?"

"Yes." A simple answer, as if they aren't relative strangers meeting for the first time in months.

* * *

Later, he admits that he never expected to hear from her again. In response, she admits she wasn't going to contact him. He was supposed to be a one night stand, a way she blew off excess adrenaline after a solo mission. "But truth is, I was lonely. And you were not half-bad for company."

He bumps his shoulder against hers at her confession. "Gee, thanks, Sweetcheeks."

"I am glad I tracked you down."

"Me too."

* * *

They fall easily into a pattern.

Weeks or months pass, then she shows up at his place, sometimes unannounced. He asks her once how she knows that he would be on his way home. Her response is to merely give him a little kitten smile.

They usually do not have long together - a full day at most, sometimes just an hour or two. In between these stolen hours, text messages are sparse but steady. They get to know each other in this unorthodox way, although she still rarely tells him anything about her past or her job.

She tells him that her father is the deputy director of Mossad. He takes this news with a few blinks and a half second of blind panic. "Must come with some perks," he eventually says.

"This is why no one questions why I must always have a layover here when I come to the United States," she explains with a shrug. "Otherwise, there are no perks. My father expects blind loyalty from me."

"That sounds stressful."

She gives him a half smile with an emotion behind it that makes him want to hold her in his arms. Instinct tells him to refrain.

Instead, he launches into a description of Viv Blackadder, the woman assigned by the NCIS director to make the Major Crimes Response Team a trio. Who had recently left, after only two months with them. "I think Gibbs freaked her out."

"Are you sure it was not your overbearing charm?" she asks, sliding her eyes sideways to peak at him. He responds with mock outrage that makes her giggle.

Their relationship is casual. Light and frothy. No strings attached.

Or so he tells himself.

He stops seeing other women. None of them were around longer than a second date, anyway. They all paled in comparison to dark eyed ninja who pops in and out of his life. And he thinks that she seems more relaxed than when they first met.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Big thanks to everyone who has left reviews! Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

A new person joins the team. Someone handpicked by Gibbs, just as Tony was. Kate Todd wears skirt suits and heels and treats him like a big brother. They argue, mostly good-naturedly, and Gibbs takes on the role of the parent, telling them occasionally to knock it off or slapping the backs of their heads.

Together with their head forensic scientist, Abby, and Ducky, the Scottish ex-pat down in autopsy, they form a ragtag kind of family.

He has finally found a place where he belongs, and he relishes it.

* * *

The younger three go out for happy hour when workloads allow. Abby tells Kate about Tony's first year or so with the agency. "It was a revolving door of women. Nobody lasted for more than a week and I couldn't keep any of their names straight. Tiffany and Jessica and Sandy with the fake nails," Abby explains over beers. They talk about him as if he is not there.

He thinks to himself, _so this is what it's like to have sisters_.

"He hasn't mentioned one woman since I've been here," Kate says.

Abby narrows her eyes. "You know, the Tony DiNozzo rumor mill has been quiet lately."

They both look over at him. Ziva isn't actually a secret but he isn't sure how to explain their relationship without sounding like a sleaze. He puts on his most innocent face in a futile attempt to deter them.

This immediately tips off Abby. "Oh my god, there's someone!" she exclaims. "Dish!"

"It's…" Complicated? Unorthodox? Casual? He settles on "long distance."

"That's why you stare at your phone so longingly," smirks Kate.

He protests. "I do not stare at it… longingly!"

Abby actually bounces up and down in her seat. "So where'd you meet?"

"In Baltimore," he says. The two women look at him, clearly expecting more details. "But, uh, it didn't get serious until I'd been in DC and we reconnected." _And it still might not be serious_ , he adds in his head.

"What's the poor girl's name?"

He hesitates before saying, "Ziva." It's an unusual name but he doubts they'll ever meet her. She shows no interest in meeting his coworkers. Plus, in the scant time they have together, he can think of other things he would rather do.

"Ziva," Abby repeats, and it's almost surreal to hear her say the name. "Sounds exotic. Where's she from?"

He definitely isn't going to tell them that she's Mossad. Kate, stickler for doing the right thing, would instantly be on him to tell Gibbs about it. So he casually lies. "Oh, you know, here and there. She travels a lot for work."

They roll their eyes at this and pepper him with questions. He deflects as many of them as he can until he's exhausted and calls it a night earlier than usual. The women tease him and he waves them away. Then when he turns to leave the bar, he smiles. _Sisters._

* * *

The next time Ziva is in town, he casually mentions that some of his coworkers know about her. Then he realizes what he has done and waits for her response, wary.

Her eyes narrow as she processes this. "How much do they know?"

"Well, I didn't tell them your life story or anything." After a pause, he adds, "Since I don't know it." He sees her putting up the barricades, getting ready to shut him out. "No, it's fine that I don't know."

She crosses her arms. Silently watches him as he scrambles to knock those walls back down. "Seriously. I told them your name, that we met in Baltimore. That's it."

"You did not mention that I am Israeli? A Mossad operative?"

"Uh no. I don't think they'd take kindly to me hiding the fact that I'm involved with a foreign intelligence operative for so long."

"So you will continue to hide it from your agency?"

He frowns at her. "Have you told Daddy Deputy Director that you're dating an American federal agent?"

A pause, then she asks, "We are dating?"

It takes him a second to follow her shift in conversation topic. Mentally, he gives himself a slap on the back of his head. He has a beautiful woman in his bed, naked. Why'd he have to start with the casual conversation? "I don't know!"

Her eyes narrow more at his raised voice. Her body is otherwise still. He runs his hands through his hair, takes a deep breath. Tries to distill the tension in the air. " _Are_ we dating?" He echoes the question back to her.

Instead of attacking him, she purses her lips and seems to consider the question. "I do not understand why we must define this. It is convenient for us both, yes?"

He nods in agreement. Then, he hesitates before saying, "Is it just convenience? I'm not seeing anyone else." A confession, meant to be helpful. On second thought, judging from the look on her face, maybe not.

She looks at him, silent, for so long that he starts feeling like he should run away. His body tenses, ready to flee, when she finally speaks. "Because you do not want to or because you have been going through a dirt spell?"

"Dry spell, not dirt." She makes the face she usually does when he corrects her botched idioms but allows him to continue. "I don't know. I'm just not interested in them."

"Why?"

"That, Sweetcheeks, is the thousand dollar question."

He's not sure when he first started calling her that or why, but it never fails to make her smile. Even now, in the midst of the closest they have ever come to an argument, her lips turn upwards, just a little. Just enough to soften her face. He uses that to his advantage.

"You know, most people would call what we have here a long distance relationship."

She raises an eyebrow. "Who are these people?"

"It's just a saying." He sighs and rubs his brow. "Why shouldn't we call this a relationship?"

At this, she pauses. Without looking directly at him, she eventually replies, "There are many things you do not know about me."

"No kidding," he deadpans. "Are you married?"

"No."

"Are you secretly an alien from outer space disguised as a human?"

She punches his arm in response. He grimaces, rubbing his arm. "I know there are things you can't tell me about work. There are things I can't tell you. No big deal."

She looks at him with that infinitely sad look on her face again. "If you…" she trails off, then clears her throat. "There are things about me, about what I have done, of which I am not proud."

He puts his hand up to caress the side of her face. "Hey," he says. "We've all done things we're not proud of. But I'm an excellent judge of character, and I think yours is alright. The past is the past."

With a tentative smile, she repeats, "The past is the past." She pauses, considering him. "There is something I hadn't mentioned."

He regards her curiously and waits for her to continue. "I have been offered a change in position. I would be working out of the Israeli Embassy here."

"In DC?" His smile widens into a grin, and his eyes light up.

She smiles at his reaction. "Yes. I was going to turn it down, take another position. But… I could take it."

"And we could…?" His question hangs in the air, and he mentally crosses his fingers.

Her smile widens. "We could, yes. You may not like me if I am around so much."

He smirks at her. "Unlikely." And then he leans in to kiss her.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: We are now getting into some things that happened in season 1. So general spoilers.

If you haven't already noticed, I tend to be a very slow writer. Thank you for being patient, and a bigger thank you to everyone who comments. I love reading them, and they help motivate me to get chapters out more quickly.

I guess now is as good a time as ever to put in a disclaimer - I do not own NCIS nor did I create the characters.

* * *

If he expected things to change drastically with her living in DC, he is sorely disappointed. Their combined work schedules means that sometimes, they are lucky to see each other once a week.

She still sometimes shows up at his apartment unannounced, but now he can go to her place as well. In his case, it is usually in the middle of the night after a long day at work. On those nights, they always have one thing on their minds.

One night, she shows up at his door just as he opens it to head to her place. She pushes him back through the door and kicks it shut behind her with a foot in one fluid move before attacking him with her mouth and tongue.

He manages to separate himself just long enough to murmur, "Great minds think alike."

They spend the rare weekends they both have off together, visiting museums and the zoo, cooking meals together, or rather, she cooks while he gets in her way. It turns out that she enjoys cooking and he enjoys eating the food she makes. And he educates her on American cinema.

She still declines to meet his NCIS family. With any other woman, he would have found this to be weird - why wouldn't she want to meet his friends and coworkers? But with her, he lets it go. It makes some sense. She doesn't want them to know that he is dating a Mossad agent. He still disagrees with her about this but doesn't press the issue.

* * *

Later, he wonders if he should have pressed her more, asked why the secrecy, and if that would have changed anything.

* * *

Not long after Ziva moves to DC, something happens that truly shakes Tony to his core.

A terrorist infiltrates NCIS in a body bag and holds Ducky and Ducky's assistant, Gerald, hostage in autopsy. He then takes Kate hostage as well. Gerald is shot and Kate, usually fairly unflappable, walks around dazed for days after. The man gets away, even with Gibbs shooting him in the chest.

Tony has seen horrible things and been in bad situations, but none have bothered him like this. Partly because the terrorist escaped. Partly because Kate had the chance to kill him and didn't take it and she can't explain why. Partly because of the look in his usually unflappable boss' eyes for days afterward.

And partly because he can't shake the feeling that they will see this particular terrorist again.

The next evening, when Ziva shows up at his apartment, he pulls her into his arms and holds her tight. She looks up at him quizzically but instead of answering, he buries his nose in her hair and lets the scent of vanilla and sandalwood warm him back up.

* * *

The MCRT picks up a fourth member, a case agent out of Norfolk who had previously collaborated with them, and Tony gains a brother. Tim McGee is young but is more knowledgeable about computers than the other three combined. And after the man held Kate hostage, they need his skills more than ever.

He is mild mannered, and Tony enjoys teasing him. He dubs him "Probie." He figures, as senior field agent, designating nicknames is his responsibility.

He is also dating Abby, so the whole family analogy Tony has going in his head starts taking on an incestuous turn. He blames McGee for this and, in retaliation, coordinates some pranks. Kate gleefully participates.

Abby suggests that they double date. Without having to ask, Tony knows Ziva wouldn't want to and he declines. Truthfully, he doesn't want to, either. The thought of Abby, the happy goth who sleeps in a coffin, and McGee, the former eagle scout computer geek, together is too much to wrap his head around.

* * *

And then Tony is drugged and kidnapped. He escapes, aided by Gibbs and Kate, but the ordeal exhausts him.

The same night, as he sits on his couch, staring into space with an old movie on the tv, there's a knock on his door. It's Ziva, and the look on her face is unmistakably relieved. Before he can ask her how she knew, she says simply, "I received intelligence that an NCIS agent was missing and when you did not answer my text, I knew it was you."

"How'd you know that? Do you know how many NCIS agents there are in DC?" he asks, wearily sitting back on the couch.

She plops down next to him and lightly brushes her fingertips over a bump on his forehead. "I just knew."

"Your spidey senses were tingling?"

She gives him a mystified look. "I do not know what that means."

He grins and replies, "Well, I know what movie we're watching tonight."

After he starts up the movie, he asks again, "How'd you know I was the missing agent?"

She shrugs, not looking at him. "In my training, I was taught to trust my instincts."

At this, he gives a half-smile. "You really should meet Gibbs. One of his rules is to always trust your instincts. Or something. My head's kind of fuzzy right now."

"Should we watch the movie another time and just head to bed?"

He slides his eyes sideways to look at her. "You're staying the night?" While he spends the night at her place regularly, she does not stay the night at his unless it is that rare full weekend that they both have off of work. She artfully dodges his questions about it.

She gives him a smile and runs a hand through his hair. "You were kidnapped today."

"And I had to run through a sewer."

She makes a face. "Maybe you need a shower instead."

"Only if you help." He doesn't mention that he has already showered. Twice.

Smirking, she turns the tv off and leads the way to his bathroom.

Later, as they lay on his bed, naked and slightly damp from the shower, he asks between yawns, "What would you have done if I hadn't answered the door tonight?"

She is silent for a moment. "It is likely I would have gone to your office and demanded that your boss include me in the search."

He chuckles at the visual - icy eyed, stoic Gibbs versus fiery, deceptively delicate-looking Ziva. "I would pay to watch that play out."

"If you could watch it, obviously there would be no need for me to be there," she replies saucily.

He looks over at her and gives her a sleepy smile. "It's nice to know you care."

He thinks she says something in return but he drifts off to sleep before his brain can register it.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Of course, after I say that I'm a slow writer, I get another chapter done. It's kind of heavy on the angst. Enjoy! And big big thanks to those who left comments.

* * *

The day starts like any other. Ziva, who stayed at his place the night before, urges him to go with her on her run. She hangs back to match strides with him until he pants and tells her to go on ahead, that he'll catch up to her at the usual place. She zips away.

He jogs alone along the path, wondering when he got so old, when a blonde woman brushes past him and looks back at him over her shoulder, clearly appraising him. She is exactly the type of woman he would have chased after before Ziva, but instead, he gives her a disinterested smile. She eventually turns left to run up a long flight of stairs.

Ziva is waiting for him near an entrance to the park, next to a fountain. She is stretching, back facing him, and he pauses a moment to admire the shape of her ass. Without turning around, she says, "You are getting slower."

"I'm not pushing myself to impress you anymore," he replies as he leans forward to catch his breath, which elicits a chuckle from her.

They shower and leave his apartment at the same time to go to their respective workplaces. As he drives to work, he marvels at how _domestic_ they have become. The sex, while still frequent and highly satisfying, isn't always the first thing on their minds anymore. And he isn't bothered by this. He enjoys her company. He even enjoys explaining every little bit of American culture to her.

He walks into the office smiling, in a good mood. He greets Kate cheerfully, and she glares at him. "God. You look like you're… in love."

His smile doesn't falter. In fact, it might get bigger. "Maybe I am," he tells her smugly. Maybe he is. The thought doesn't freak him out.

She rolls her eyes and tells him about how Gibbs bought her coffee this morning and made her profile the suspected Hamas terrorist who infiltrated NCIS months ago. He does his best to allay her concerns that Gibbs has become obsessed with this man they still cannot identify.

They go to lunch with Ducky, where Kate proceeds to share her concerns with the older man. Nothing Ducky says makes Kate feel any better, and now Tony is starting to get a little concerned as well, though he hides it from Kate.

Suddenly, he sees someone across the street who looks vaguely familiar. He stops mid-sentence to watch the blonde woman jogging down the sidewalk. Kate turns around to follow his gaze. "Seriously, Tony?" she smirks. "What's the missus going to say about you stepping out on her?"

Tony turns his attention back to Kate. "I don't know which I'm more disturbed by - 'missus' or 'stepping out.'"

"Why were you watching that woman if you're so happily in love?" she retorts.

He frowns at her. "Because I saw her this morning while I was out jogging, too, and no one runs that much."

"Since when do you go jogging in the mornings?"

"Since I started having frequent wild sex, Kate." He smirks at the horrified look that comes over her face.

"I walked right into that one," she mutters, stabbing vigorously her salad with her fork.

Ducky launches into monologue about a study he read regarding the benefits of aerobic exercise on stamina in bed. Before Tony can comment on the look on the puritanical Kate's face, she grabs Ducky's wrist to look at his watch. "Crap," she says, grabbing her purse. "I have that Gitmo video conference. I'd better go. I'll see you later."

The two men wave her off. They finish their lunches, pay, and head back to the office.

It is only a few hours later that Tony gets any hint that something is wrong. Kate doesn't make it back to the office for the conference, nor does she answer any calls to both her cell and her home phone. This violates Gibbs' rule about never being unreachable. Tony breaks this rule every once in a while, but Kate never does.

And then McGee's computer algorithm magic finally gives them a name. Ari Haswari. A Jewish first name and an Arab last name. And Tony is overcome with the feeling that Ziva is somehow involved.

He tries to reason his way out of this feeling. Jewish does not mean Israeli. And even if it did, it does not guarantee that Ari and Ziva know each other.

Then Gibbs informs him that Ari is Mossad, undercover as Hamas. Kate returns unharmed. The blonde woman who had been trying to capture his attention turned out to be Ari's accomplice and she is killed by Ari. Another terrorist is dead and the world has Ari to thank.

But that isn't enough for him. It's too tidy, too simple. He knows that when he hears hoofbeats, he should think horses, not zebras, but he can't shake the feeling. And he thinks that Gibbs feels the same way.

* * *

They sit down to dinner at her home that night. Before they start eating, he says, "There's something I want to ask you. It's job related."

For the briefest moment, her face is unreadable. Then she gets a mischievous look in her eyes and replies, "Before you ask your question, there is something I have wanted to do all day." And before he can say anything else, she kneels in front of him and undoes his belt buckle. She leans her head forward and his mind goes deliciously blank.

Afterwards, they clean up and turn their attention back to the now cold food on the table. "That was a nice attempt to distract me, Sweetcheeks," he tells her between bites.

She gives him a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Please do not ask your question," she says quietly.

"I have to," he replies. "You know Ari Haswari, right?"

Before he can protest, she grabs him by the hand and pulls him into the bathroom. She turns on the shower as he leans against the counter. "You're not distracting me again," he tells her, crossing his arms.

"I am not trying to distract you," she retorts. "You must be aware that this is a Mossad-owned townhome. It is bugged everywhere."

He shouldn't be surprised about this, but he is still a little taken aback. "Everywhere everywhere?" He is thinking back to earlier tonight, among many other occasions.

"Except the bathroom, of course."

"Oh right. Don't want to invade anyone's privacy."

Her eyes narrow at his sarcastic tone. "It is a matter of national security," she says. "But yes. I know Ari. He is Mossad. I assume you know this."

He nods. "You know what his current mission is?"

"He is deep undercover with Hamas and al-Qaeda. I assume you know this as well."

"Yeah. Do you know why he's interested in NCIS, and my team in particular?"

She frowns at him. "I cannot tell you details about Mossad missions. You must know this."

"So you won't deny that it's part of a sanctioned Mossad mission?"

"I will neither deny nor confirm this." She crosses her arms, mimicking his defensive body language.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair in frustration. She clearly isn't going to cave. He tries a different approach. "Do you love me?"

Her frown deepens at this. "What does that have to do with Ari?"

"Just answer the question."

"I…" She falters and looks down. "Why does this matter?" she asks, her voice quieter.

He clenches his jaw at her deflection. "Because if you love me, and I think you do, that means you trust me. And if you trust me, you will answer."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes!" he fairly shouts at her. "I love you. And I trust you. So you could have answered my questions with lies and I would believe you."

As he gets louder, she seems to get quieter. "And you are okay with this?"

"That's what love is."

She opens her mouth, then shuts it again and looks at him with sad eyes. "But I did not lie."

With a sigh, he says, "I know. That's what's so frustrating." For a long moment, they silently stare at each other. Then, in a quieter voice, he asks again, "Do you love me?"

"I…" Again, she stops. "It is complicated."

He shakes his head. "It's not. Either you do or you don't. And I think I have my answer."

With that, he wrenches open the bathroom door and stalks out. She doesn't move to stop him, and he walks out her front door and, he thinks, out of her life.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes: Thank you so much to everyone who commented on the last chapter! And as a reward, here is the next installment. I don't think I've written this quickly in months.

* * *

He is in a foul mood for what seems like weeks to his colleagues. He is efficient at work without his usual pranks, jokes, and movie references, but he operates almost like a robot. Kate and McGee shoot him worried looks that he ignores. Any question or comment not work-related is answered in an annoyed tone of voice. McGee's new nickname during this time, which Abby later dubs "Tony's Dark Days," is McNosy.

Gibbs finally has enough. He drags Tony into the elevator and hits the emergency button. "Get it out of your system already," he tells his senior agent curtly.

Tony stands there, jaw clenched. "I'm fine," he grinds out. Gibbs just snorts in response. "I trusted the wrong woman. Again. And I don't have a basement with a boat and bourbon to work through it."

"Stop taking it out on the team. Get your head on straight," Gibbs tells him, not unkindly despite the barb aimed at him.

The next day, as he is at his desk, running through missing persons reports, looking for one that matches their current victim - scut work as punishment for his recent rude behavior - a manila envelope arrives for him. He picks it up with a frown. "I didn't request anything." The envelope has his name on it in neat, handwritten letters, but no return address or other indication of a sender. There's no stamp on it, indicating that it was delivered by hand.

Inside is what looks like a field report, typed and stapled. As he pulls it out, a piece of paper falls out of the envelope. He picks it up and reads.

 _Tony, enclosed is a report regarding Ari Haswari's mission in which NCIS had become involved. There are aspects that I cannot disclose to you but this should answer many of your questions. I understand that you do not want to speak to me after that night, but I felt that I owed this to you. I do trust you, and I am sorry that I hurt you. It was never my intention. - Ziva._

* * *

That night after work, he drives to her townhome. He rings her doorbell, then knocks on her door, but she does not answer. The lights are all off. He calls her cell phone but it goes straight to voicemail. He leaves her a voice message, asking her to call him back.

She doesn't.

* * *

He starts to think that he made a huge mistake, pushing her to tell him about a covert Mossad operation. She had warned him that she kept secrets, and he had said that they didn't matter. And then he pushed her to tell him that she loves him. And he blew it.

Occasionally, he sends her a text, just a quick, _hey, you still alive over there?_ She never responds.

So he moves on with his life, because he doesn't really have another choice. Eventually, he goes on some dates. Every single date is bland after her, but he keeps asking out any attractive woman, only to be disappointed by the end of the night or the next morning. He even has a quick fling with another NCIS agent, Paula Cassidy, who is attractive but similarly uninterested in anything long term. They eventually agree to break it off after she gets transferred to another office.

At least his job is interesting. Sure, they have their share of murders committed by family members or coworkers, but they occasionally pick up an unusual case that requires some creative thinking. Like searching for stolen Iraqi antiques, which requires him to go undercover as a federal prisoner.

He generally likes going undercover, but after his spectacular flop of a relationship, he is feeling edgy. It doesn't help that he is handcuffed to another federal prisoner, Jeffrey, who whines and generally doesn't seem capable of any kind of heist.

But then he loses the GPS device that allowed Gibbs and Kate to track their movements. And then Jeffrey's partner-in-crime, Lane, who is clearly the muscle of the duo, doesn't like Tony, and he ditches them to supposedly sell the antiques himself. This gets a little more interesting than Tony cares for. But he improvises like the good experienced agent that he is.

Somewhere in Virginia, he finds himself in a car with Jeffrey, who is starting to creep him out, waiting for the potential buyer. Next to them is the container holding the antiques. A large white SUV pulls up behind them, and he and Jeffrey get out of the car. Tony is tense, ready to drop the act before the antiques can leave the parking lot. Instinct tells him not to let Jeffrey stand behind him.

The driver of the SUV gets out of the car. Tony blinks a few times to make sure he's seeing correctly. The woman is Ziva. _What the hell_.

She doesn't seem surprised to see him. Instead, she asks, "Which one of you is Jeffrey?"

"That's me. Thought I was meeting a Japanese guy," Jeffrey responds.

"I am here on his behalf." She is calm, business-like.

Before anyone can say anything else, another car pulls up. It is Gibbs and Kate, finally. They get out of the car and yell at Jeffrey and Ziva to put their hands up. Jeffrey pulls out a knife and tries to grab hold of Tony, but before he can, the knife is kicked out of his hand. Ziva flips Jeffrey onto his stomach, and pins his arms behind his back. At the same time, she tells Gibbs, "Mossad."

Kate handcuffs Jeffrey and hauls him off. Gibbs watches Ziva as she stands and brushes off her skirt, then asks the question on Tony's mind. "Why's Mossad here?"

"One of the Iraqi antiques is actually Israeli. I have been undercover for the last few months, gaining the trust of the buyer so I could recover the shipment."

Tony blinks. If she has been undercover, that might explain why she hadn't been returning his calls. "Ziva David," she introduces herself.

Gibbs gives her a curt nod. "Backup will be here shortly to recover the shipment. We'll make sure Israel gets back its item."

"That is greatly appreciated," she replies. Her eyes flick toward Tony for the briefest of moments, and then she turns around and gets back in her car.

Gibbs' blue eyes regard Tony closely. "You know her?" he asks.

Tony shrugs. "Nope," he says, then heads for Gibbs' car. Kate is there, watching Jeffrey. "Did she say her name is Ziva?" she asks.

"Yeah."

Her eyes narrow. "Didn't you say your girlfriend's name was Ziva?"

"Yeah. What a coincidence," he says smoothly before walking off to greet the backup.

* * *

That night, as he is working on his field report at the office, he sends her a text. _Can we talk?_

She doesn't respond right away, but he figures she has her own reports to write.

An hour later, he shuts down his computer. Still no response. He sighs and pockets his phone.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Three chapters in three days! This is some sort of record. I will, however, probably not be able to get another chapter out until next week. But before I go radio silent, I wanted to be sure to get this chapter out.

Big thanks again to everyone who is commenting and following. I love reading your reactions.

* * *

Ziva never returns his text. Weeks turn into months, and Tony gives up any hope. And then, to cap off a truly spectacular year, he gets the pneumonic plague.

The letter wasn't addressed to him. The address to "NCIS Special Agent" should have set off his internal alarms. Anthrax and all that. But he saw the nondescript envelope and the stamped lips and he thought maybe, just maybe, it was another letter from Ziva.

* * *

In hindsight, he knows it was stupid to think that she had sent that letter. It wasn't her style. But his punishment was almost dying from the plague, so he figures he shouldn't beat himself up over his idiocy too much.

* * *

He has some fun in isolation with Kate, driving her as crazy as he dares. But then the news comes back that only he is infected. And then he starts feeling warmer, and the pretty nurse confirms that he is starting to run a fever.

And then he starts coughing so much that it is difficult to breathe. The doctor - Brad Pitt, no relation to the movie star - kicks Kate out. Time stands still as he coughs so hard he retches, then spits out blood. Even in the blue light, he can tell the tips of his fingers are turning blue from lack of oxygen.

Between coughs, he chokes out, "It's been a bad year. This is just the cherry on top."

Maybe the lack of oxygen makes him pass out, he isn't sure. But when he awakens, there is another woman in the room. Her sad eyes are familiar above her mask. "Ziva?" he gasps.

"Yes," she says, her voice muffled. Before he can catch his breath enough to ask a question, she answers it. "You are not hallucinating."

"Why…?" he manages to wheeze.

She strokes his hair. "Shh, don't talk. I will explain everything later."

"I'm…" He coughs so hard, he's sure he coughed up a lung. "I'm dying," he tells her.

"You are not," she replies, her voice firm. "You are going to recover. Then we will have plenty of time to talk."

"Sorry I yelled," he gasps. She shushes him again. In between coughing fits, he thinks he hears her singing to him quietly, but he can't make out the words.

Gibbs walks in just then, glances once at Ziva, then tells them all that Tony is no longer contagious. He leans in toward Tony and tells him that he is not going to die. Then he gives him a slap on the head. Tony nods and grits out, "Got it, Boss."

As Gibbs straightens, he asks, "Who are you?"

She removes her mask and replies, "Ziva David. We met a few months ago."

"Oh right. The Iraqi antiques. What's Mossad doing here?"

Tony struggles to keep up with their conversation. "I am here in an… unofficial capacity."

In response, all Gibbs says is, "Huh." Then he leaves. Ziva resumes stroking his hair. "Your boss is quite a pleasant man, yes?"

He lets out a gasp that is intended to be a short laugh. "Oh yeah."

* * *

He isn't sure how he recovers, but he does. His fingertips and nose return to their usual flesh color and Dr Pitt removes the oxygen support, telling him he doesn't need it anymore.

* * *

Later, he claims that it was Gibbs' head slap that knocked the plague right out of him.

* * *

That night, both Ziva and Kate sleep on beds in the isolation chamber with him. Sleepily, he makes a lewd joke that gets a snort from Ziva and a scoff from Kate. Then, after the nurse turns the eerie blue bug-killing lights off, he says, "This reminds me of the end of Alien."

That earns a chuckle from Kate. Ziva replies, "I have not seen it."

"We'll have plenty of time to watch it," he says.

* * *

He is hospitalized for the next few days while doctors run tests. Thankfully, he is moved out of the isolation unit after a day. Abby and the CDC confirm that the plague is dead and he is no longer contagious.

Ziva is by his side constantly. She explains how Kate had called her. "I had just returned from Tel Aviv, but I worried that I would not be here in time…" She trails off, biting her lower lip. "Tony, I-"

This time, he shushes her. "We don't have to do this now," he says.

She looks at him earnestly, and he thinks she is going to continue on anyway, but Abby bursts into his room, McGee and Kate trailing behind. They bring him a portable DVD player and a stack of DVDs. They also bring dinner, and they all eat and laugh. Abby looks suspiciously at Ziva at first, protective as always over Tony and knowing that she was the cause of his dark days, but they all accept her presence.

A nurse comes in to check his vitals. "I hate to break up the party, but visiting hours are over. Everyone but your wife have to clear out."

The other three look at Tony and Ziva. He recovers first and says, "Thanks for visiting, guys. The wife and I will probably watch a movie and then go to bed."

He glances briefly at Ziva to gauge her reaction. The look on her face is priceless, but she doesn't look angry or offended, and she doesn't say anything to disagree. His colleagues play along, although Kate is obviously holding back laughter. They say their goodbyes and walk out.

After the nurse leaves, he says, "You didn't say anything."

She shrugs. "If it means I can stay, she can believe what she would like."

He pauses, then asks, "What _is_ our status?"

"I am sorry I did not respond to your text message after we saw each other last time. My father sent me on another mission that lasted a few months. If it had taken even just one more day, you might have…" She stops and gives him a sad smile. "And I would have many regrets about how we ended things."

"Hey," he says softly, taking her hand. "I plan on living a really long life. And maybe we have a second chance?"

"I hope so," she replies. "I did not tell you before that I loved you because everyone I loved in my life has been taken from me. I thought I was protecting you."

"I'm pretty tough. I mean, I just beat the plague."

She smiles. "I do, though. Love you."

He can't hold back the megawatt grin that comes over his face. "Right back at you, Sweetcheeks." Then he holds up the portable DVD player. "What movie should we watch?"


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes: Hello, lovely readers! Thank you so much for all the comments! I really appreciate them, plus they motivate me to get chapters out. Keep them coming!

And now on with the show. Enjoy this fairly fluffy chapter before the angst comes back in full force.

* * *

The day after he is released from the hospital, Tony goes into the office. He figures he'll be chained to his desk, but at least he can make himself useful. With everything back on track with Ziva, he is ready to get back to his regularly scheduled life. But then Gibbs walks in and barks, "DiNozzo! What are you doing here?"

"Working, Boss. Figured I could do things here while you're out in the field." He looks at the former Marine hopefully.

Gibbs glares at him. "No. Your doctor said you need to be on medical leave for the next two weeks. So that's what you're gonna do."

Tony sighs, which makes him cough a little. "But Boss. I'm fine."

"Run up and down those stairs to prove it." Gibbs gestures to the stairs behind him.

"Okay, so I'm not _that_ fine. But I can still sit at a desk and type and click."

"No. You look like crap." Gibbs is firm, then he pauses. "But hey, maybe you can explain how you got married to a Mossad operative and never told us."

Kate snickers loudly at this. Tony glares at her before focusing his attention back on the grey-haired man. "The married thing was just a joke."

"But you're still dating an operative with a foreign intelligence agency. Did you start seeing this woman before or after Ari Haswari held Kate, Ducky, and Gerald hostage?"

Tony gives Gibbs as hostile a look as he dares. "Before. Well before. And well before we knew Ari was Mossad. I met her before I worked here."

"Did you question her when we found out he is Mossad?"

"Yes." Tony fairly hisses out the word. "And she gave me this report." He opens one of his desk drawers and pulls out the report. He shoves the report toward Gibbs. "Thanks for trusting my judgment, by the way."

Gibbs takes the report and heads for his desk. "The judgment that led to you opening a letter containing the plague?" He sits and adds, "Go home."

"Fine." Tony shuts his computer off as loudly as he can, then grabs his backpack and heads for the elevator. Once he's in his car, he pulls out his cell and calls Ziva. "You busy?"

"Catching up on email, then meetings. You?"

"I just got sent home from school."

A pause. "What are you doing at a school?"

He chuckles. "No, it's just a saying. Gibbs sent me home, told me to take the two weeks of sick leave."

"That is a dumb saying. And I told you you should stay home."

He whines, "But I'll be bored."

He can tell she is shaking her head at him. "You will be fine. How about this? I will come over tonight, take the rest of the week off. Then we can watch all the movies you apparently cannot watch alone."

"You're on," he replies, smiling. "See you later."

* * *

She arrives at his place that evening with a pizza. They sit on the couch and eat while watching an old movie. He chatters through the movie as he usually does, but she does not shush him. In fact, she barely seems to be paying attention. When he notices that she has barely touched any pizza, he turns to her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," she says automatically.

"Hey," he replies. "We're a team. You don't carry burdens alone."

She glances at him. "It is work. My father is very angry with me."

"Why?" He thinks he knows the answer and braces himself.

"For dating an NCIS agent. And for giving you that report on Ari. He says I betrayed my country."

 _Geez_. Daddy David was one hardass. "Seriously? That's a little harsh."

She shrugs. "Maybe so, but that is why he sent me on back to back undercover missions. And now he has given me a new role."

"Another undercover mission? To the Arctic?" he asks, trying to inject some humor into the mood.

She looks at him morosely. "No. As a control officer."

"That doesn't sound too bad," he says hopefully.

A short, humorless laugh escapes from her. "I am now Ari Haswari's control officer."

Tony feels his heart sink all the way down his chest cavity. At the expression on his face, Ziva lets out a big sigh. "See what I mean?"

He tells himself to pull it together, that she needs him to be Glass-Half-Full guy. "Maybe it won't be so bad. Whatever Ari's been up to lately, he hasn't come across NCIS radar."

"Yet." Her face is dark, and he stiffens.

"Do you know something I don't?"

She shakes her head. "I promise you, no. But Ari gets his orders from my father, and I know my father. He is planning something that will compromise my relationship with you."

He scoots closer to her on the couch and puts his arm around her. She leans her head against his shoulder with a sigh. "Won't happen. We'll deal with it when it comes. Together. Okay?"

"Okay," she replies, visibly relaxing, even though her eyes still look worried.

* * *

The week passes by quickly with Ziva there to entertain him. She stays at his apartment the whole week, and he gets a taste of what life would be like if they lived together. His fridge is filled with more fresh food than it's ever seen and she makes use of his long-neglected pots and pans.

She wakes up early to go for a run every morning, slipping out so quietly that he doesn't wake up, then showering and getting back into bed. The only hint that she does this is that her hair is damp when he wakes up with her nestled against him. Once, she tries to get him to do yoga with her in his living room, but he winds up ogling her lithe body until he can't help but run his hands over her curves.

Maybe because they previously were never asleep long enough when they shared a bed, one always waking the other with kisses, he learns that she snores, sometimes loudly. When he jokes that he's never known a spy to snore so loudly, she punches his arm and proclaims that he snores as well. He winces and tells her that she shouldn't hit a sick person.

He concludes that living with her wouldn't be half bad and starts plotting the perfect time to ask her to move in.

* * *

The idyllic week ends, and Ziva returns to her job. They don't see each other often as her new role as Ari Haswari's handler seems to keep her extremely busy. She is on edge again and when they do see each other, she is exhausted and falls asleep next to him on the couch sometimes before whatever movie they are watching is halfway over.

He, on the other hand, is ready to jump out a window to get some excitement back in his life. A week off with Ziva there is one thing, but a week off alone is almost unbearable.

Toward the end of that torturous week, HR calls him and tells him that he can take another week of sick leave. He declines immediately and picks out the suit he's going to wear on his first day back.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Notes: Phew! Wanted to get this out tonight. Hold on to your hats, folks. We're in for some action! It's a longer chapter than the others, simply because I didn't want to break up the action. We'll dub this chapter "The One Where Elsie Snuffin Tries To Write Action Scenes." And of course, comment when you're done reading the chapter. ;-) Thank you to everyone who has left comments - you're all so wonderful.

Also, spoilers for the season 2 finale - although it diverges from canon on a few points.

* * *

On his first day back, Tony gets plenty of excitement. Maybe too much excitement.

With two weeks to cool down, Gibbs is cordial - and, Tony thinks, secretly happy - about his return. Kate and McGee play it cool, too, but he's sure their eyes lit up when they saw him walk into the bullpen with Gibbs.

And then they catch a case and Tony practically does a jig as he goes down to the garage to get the van ready.

But then he falls down a steep hill. And at some point, he's on his back again - possibly because he told Kate a corn snake is poisonous and heroically saves her from an imminent bite, only to have McGee tell her that corn snakes aren't poisonous and Tony knows it - just in time to see that the car trunk that McGee is about to open is rigged with a bomb. As Senior Field Agent, he makes McGee swap places with him and tells the other two to run. "Should have taken that extra week, Anthony," he tells himself as he prepares to let go of the key in the trunk and run like hell.

Plague-infested lungs and all, he is able to make it halfway up the hill before the bomb explodes. He is thrown onto the ground, for the third time in one hour but who's counting, and crawls the rest of the way up the hill. "Hey Boss, remember how I said earlier that I'd never felt better? I lied," he cracks weakly.

Upon return to NCIS, Gibbs all but grabs Tony by the ear and forces him down to Autopsy to be examined by Ducky, who advises that he lie down and take it easy. With his breath back, the adrenaline from almost getting blown up is in full force, and staying still is the last thing he wants to do. Gibbs glares at him until he agrees.

It isn't long before they track down the 911 call that led them to the rigged car. The anonymous 911 caller said that the people involved in the accident were sailors. Both victims were in civvies and the car was a rental. How could that person know?

Gibbs realizes it first - that's why he's the team leader - and stalks out of the bullpen. Tony figures it out next and clues in a slightly baffled Kate. The 911 caller wanted to be sure that NCIS would be out there investigating.

Then Fornell shows up and it isn't difficult to connect the dots all the way back to Ari Haswari.

It's a good thing Tony's face is already rather pale from being sick because he feels the blood drain from it as he forces himself to stay neutral. As soon as he can, he leaves the bullpen, finds a quiet corner, and calls Ziva.

She picks up on the first ring, as if she anticipated his call. "Are you okay, Tony?" she asks, her accented voice concerned.

"Well, I almost got blown up," he replies. "But I'm all in one piece. How'd you know?"

There is silence for a brief minute and a muffled sound, like she is walking somewhere. Then she responds, in a quieter voice, "Ari swore to me that it was an accident."

"And you believe him?"

"I do not know."

"The explosives were military-grade. There's no way it was an accident." He runs a hand through his hair and damns her father for putting her in this position.

"I-" she starts. Then he hears her hiss something in Hebrew. "Can we talk in person?" she asks. "There is no privacy here."

"My apartment, half an hour?" he suggests.

She agrees and they hang up. He grabs his jacket as he heads for the elevator, telling the remaining two agents that he's meeting a contact.

* * *

She knocks on his apartment door not long after he gets there. He gives her a brief smile when he lets her in that she does not return. Her face is tense and her eyes worried. "I finally got through to my father," she says by way of greeting. "He says that Ari is following his orders."

"He tried to blow me and my team up. I doubt that was part of your father's plan," Tony replies restlessly.

Ziva sits on the couch with a sigh. "He would not answer any of my questions regarding that. Apparently, even as Ari's control officer, there are things to which I am not to know about what Ari is doing."

"And you accept that?"

Her eyes blaze. "Of course I do not accept that! But what can I do?"

"Tell me what Ari's doing here," he urges.

"He is here infiltrating an al-Qaeda cell. So I am told."

He frowns. "How did he even get in here? His name should be on the no-fly list."

"The mission is in conjunction with the FBI, and they arranged for him to be allowed into the country."

 _Christ_. It's the perfect cover. "The FBI thinks he's here to kill Gibbs, but they aren't sure why. So what's he planning next?"

"I do not know," she says wearily.

He runs his hands through his hair in frustration. "But you're his control officer. How do you not know?"

"Like I said, my father has decided that there are things that I am not to know. He says that I cannot be trusted with all details of Ari's assignments," she shoots back.

"Then what's the point of you being his control officer?" he wonders out loud, not expecting her to have an answer.

Her jaw clenches and she shouts, "I do not know!"

"Hey, hey. I know you don't know. I was wondering out loud," he replies soothingly.

She suddenly smacks the side of his couch and swears loudly in Hebrew. He doesn't know exactly what she said, but he has an idea that it was an insult aimed at her father.

"Yeah, I thought I had the corner on shitty dads covered, but all my dad did was neglect me for years."

She doesn't respond and looks daggers at his dark tv screen. He sits next to her and rubs her shoulder.

After a long silence, he stands and says, "Listen, I need to get back to the office. Call if there's anything I can do or if you find out anything else. Okay?" She nods and stands up. He wraps his arms around her and she leans into his embrace for a brief moment before pulling away.

* * *

Gibbs still hasn't returned by the time Tony gets back to the office. As he is trying his cell for the twentieth time, Gibbs strides into the bullpen. And, in typical Gibbs fashion, casually states that he was having coffee with Ari, who then tried to blow him up. Then he disappears into MTAC.

When he comes out, he is pissed. Ari is off-limits and Gibbs is under protective custody. All that does is make the team double down on proving that Ari killed those sailors and planted the bomb in the car. Also, they all sleep at their desks.

The next day, Tony starts really regretting wanting some action when they discover that a target drone is missing and security footage shows men in ski masks stealing said drone. He calls Ziva as soon as he can to see if maybe, just maybe, she can account for Ari's whereabouts last night. She doesn't answer, so he sends her a text.

When he returns to his desk, Gibbs is waiting for him. "You in touch with your girlfriend?" he asks.

"Yeah. She isn't being kept in the loop much on this one."

Gibbs looks skeptical. "As the Mossad Deputy Director's daughter, I doubt that."

He shoots the older man a look. "Daddy David is a shittier dad than Senior. He's punishing her for, well, dating me."

"Can't blame him," Gibbs mutters, before adding in a louder voice, "Come on. MTAC."

Once they're all there, he confronts Fornell. "Ari's running the damn al-Qaeda cell. He's playing you. He's not your double agent, never has been." Fornell looks dumbstruck, like he should have seen it coming.

* * *

Later, Tony really has to wonder if there is anything they could have done differently. If Fornell had gotten a clue earlier and not let Ari into the country. If they had realized it was a trap, a trick to get them all in one location, like fish in a barrel. If he and Ziva hadn't gotten back together. If Deputy Director David hadn't been such a son of a bitch.

Sometimes, the endless hypotheticals keep him up at night, and he sits in the darkened living room alone, staring at late-night infomercials. Sometimes Ziva joins him.

* * *

Then they're in Norfolk, standing amongst warehouses. On the way there, Tony checks his phone. No calls, no messages from Ziva. _Where the hell is she?_

They find themselves on the roof of one warehouse in a gunfight. They're outnumbered and it's chaos. Gibbs, being Gibbs, eventually stops the drone by shooting the controls and causing it to crash into the ocean.

And then Kate jumps in front of a bullet meant for Gibbs. In the heat of the moment, he forgets that she's wearing a bulletproof vest and just has the wind knocked out of her from the bullet's impact. He runs to her, Gibbs at his heels, and she looks up at them and laughs as she gets up.

Just as he's thinking that it's over, he looks at Kate and sees the tell-tale red laser dot on her forehead. He roars her name and tackles her to the ground. Gibbs also hits the deck, and they wait for the sniper shot.

It never comes.

Instead, he slowly becomes aware of the faint sound of fighting. He dares to sit up and doesn't get a bullet in his head. Just barely, he can make out movement on a nearby rooftop. He stands up to get a better look as Gibbs and Kate sit up.

Two people are fighting, a man and a woman, both slim and dark haired. The woman kicks the man in the chest and Tony knows instantly that it's Ziva.

"That's Ari," Gibbs says, squinting. "And is that…?"

Tony watches, wide eyed, frozen. Ziva's back is to the edge of the roof and he wants to shout to her to be careful but knows he shouldn't distract her. He sees Ari's mouth moving and then he's running at her. He stops breathing and time stands still as she pulls out a knife and stabs him before he can barrel into her. She somehow twists her body so she falls parallel to the roof line. Ari falls on top of her.

His feet start moving and he runs, dodging dead bodies and discarded guns. As he sprints past McGee sitting on the ground next to a car, he hears him call his name but he doesn't stop. He runs into the building where Ziva is and finds his way up to the roof. She is still lying on the ground but has pushed Ari off of her.

"Ziva!" he calls as he runs over to her.

"Tony?" she gasps, sitting up.

He finally reaches her and crouches down next to her. "Are you okay?" he asks, frantically touching her face.

"I am fine," she responds. "Is he…?"

Tony reaches over and feels for a pulse on Ari's neck. He can't find one and the look on his face must clue in Ziva. She closes her eyes and tears silently start running down her cheeks.

He wraps his arms around her and holds her as Gibbs and Kate jog toward them. "It's over," he whispers over and over, but he doesn't think she hears him.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up! It ends rather abruptly, but I didn't want to include any of what comes next because then the chapter would be really long and I wanted to get at least this to you all.

Enjoy, and please comment!

* * *

In the aftermath of Ari's death, there is paperwork. Piles of it. A foreign operative killed a terrorist with whom the FBI had been working. And the members of the MCRT are the only witnesses. High ranking people want answers.

One of these people is the Mossad Deputy Director. Gibbs shoots Tony a look of warning as Eli David introduces himself via video conference. Tony feels an overwhelming urge to reach right through the screen and wring the sonofabitch's neck.

Eli expresses concern about his daughter killing a fellow Mossad operative and mentions her possibly confused allegiances. Tony doesn't doubt Eli knows exactly who he is and that that pointed comment is meant for him. He fumes silently and lets Gibbs do the talking.

That is, until Eli makes a casual but purposeful remark about recalling Ziva to face the repercussions of her actions. "After all," he says, the video feed briefly distorting his face, "We do not have definitive proof that Ari was fully aligned with al-Qaeda or Hamas."

"Are you kidding?" Tony explodes. "He stole a drone and tried to blow up members of our military and their families. He killed two sailors. He shot Kate and tried to blow up Gibbs -." He stops short when he sees Gibbs' icy glare.

Eli smoothly denies that there is enough evidence to prove Ari committed those acts. Gibbs shakes his head and gets impatient, and the call ends rather abruptly.

"Way to keep your cool, Tony," Kate says as they exit MTAC, Gibbs striding away to the director's office without a word.

Before he can sit down, his cell buzzes, signaling that he has a text. _I am outside your office._

* * *

She hands him coffee as he walks up to her. She is no longer wearing the blood stained clothes from before and she looks freshly scrubbed. The look on her face hasn't changed, however. The overwhelming sadness in her eyes that Tony doesn't fully understand until they sit on a bench and she starts talking.

Ari Haswari was her half-brother. Her father's son, born to a Palestinian woman.

The pieces all fit together now. Ari's name, her defensiveness about him, Eli's denial of the evidence supporting Ari's betrayals, her tears over killing him.

He clenches his fists as she continues talking, telling him about how she and Ari were raised together, even though her mother was clearly uncomfortable with this arrangement. Eli taught them both how to fight, how to survive in a world hostile to Israelis. Rivka, Ziva's mother, argued against this and successfully shielded Ziva's younger sister, Tali, against Eli's often brutal tactics. But Ziva always idolized her father and did everything he asked of her.

Eli raised her to be the "pointy end of his spear" at Mossad. He had raised Ari to be a spy within Hamas, the greatest of Israel's enemies. "Before he… died," she adds, "I asked him why he hated our father so much. And he told me that our father had ordered the bombing that killed his mother. I do not know if it is true or not. But it could be true, because that is the type of man my father is."

Tali, of whom Ziva had never spoken except to say that she had a little sister who died, died in another bombing when she was 16. Ziva was undergoing Mossad training, and she was not allowed to leave to attend her funeral. "Tali was the best of us, and my best friend. And now Ari is also dead." She sighs and looks into the distance, emptied of those words that seem to have been weighing her down.

She killed Ari, but only because he would have killed her. Tony tells her this, puts his hands over her cold ones, tries to make her feel better even though he knows that's impossible. If he could, he would gladly wring Eli David's neck.

She shakes her head. "I confronted him. It did not have to happen then and there."

"If you hadn't, Kate would be dead. Me and Gibbs, too, probably." Before he can say anything else, his cell phone rings. As soon as he picks up, Gibbs barks in his ear to get back. And to bring his girlfriend with him.

For the first time, Ziva goes up to the bullpen with him. He holds her hand in the elevator but drops it when the doors open.

Gibbs is waiting for them. "Ziva, if you go to Israel, you're not coming back," he says, foregoing any type of greeting.

"Yes," she agrees. "But if I do not go willingly, my father will have someone uh, escort me."

"Won't let that happen," Tony chimes in. "Right, Boss?"

Gibbs ticks his eyes toward his senior agent but does not disagree. "We need you here to answer questions," he tells Ziva. "There's no way your father would let us talk to you if you go back to Tel Aviv."

"I agree. But what am I to do? Hide?" she asks.

From her desk, Kate pipes up. "Protective custody."

"Yeah, but the director isn't going to approve keeping a foreign operative in protective custody against that agency's will," McGee says.

"Morrow wouldn't," Gibbs says. "But he's not the director anymore." Collectively, they all stare at him. "He stepped down to be Deputy Director of Homeland Security. Told me today."

Tony is the first to recover. "Who's replacing him?"

"Me," replies a female voice from behind him. The whole group turns to stare at the newcomer, a woman with red hair.

Ziva exclaims, "Jenny!" and immediately reaches over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"You two know each other?" Gibbs asks.

"Kind of an awkward greeting between strangers," Kate cracks quietly, but no one responds.

"We worked on a mission together in Europe a few years ago," Ziva explains.

"We'll set up your protective custody," Jenny tells her before turning to Gibbs. "You look well, Jethro."

"You too, Jen." He gives her a loaded look. Despite the seriousness of the current situation, or possibly because of it, Tony can't wait to figure out just how well the boss man and the new director know each other.

* * *

The new director had made the protective custody sound easy to set up. But as they are ironing out details - Tony insists being part of her protective custody detail and Gibbs, surprisingly, doesn't say anything against it - Eli calls Shephard and gives her an earful. He asks her where Ziva is now and she lies, says she doesn't know. He tells her that Ziva's cell phone was tracked to the NCIS office and asks where she is again. Shephard holds firm and Eli hangs up angrily with a last threat.

Ziva stares at her phone in her hand, then says, "I should not have left it on." She turns it off, but Gibbs takes it from her anyway.

"You can have it back after this all blows over," he tells her. "In the meantime, you'll stay at my house."

Tony protests. "I was thinking she would stay with me."

Gibbs shakes his head. "Your apartment is the first place they'd look for her."

"I'm staying with you too, then," Tony responds stubbornly.

"I got plenty of room," Gibbs says, shrugging.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long delay between chapters. I hit a bit of writer's block and then a nasty stomach bug. But I'm all better now and here we are! Enjoy!

Please leave feedback so I know everyone didn't abandon this story. Many thanks to those who waited patiently.

* * *

Ziva and Tony essentially move in to Gibbs' house, which Tony can only describe as "weird" when questioned by McGee. When they first arrive, Ziva takes a cursory look around the sparsely decorated home and says, "It is nice."

"Good. Can't leave until we figure things out with Mossad," Gibbs says.

She sighs, and Tony knows she is wondering how she will keep from getting cabin fever. One activity in particular usually assuages her restlessness, but he isn't about to suggest it in front of the boss. Instead, he smiles at her and gestures to Gibbs' small, neglected black and white tv. "We can watch plenty of tv," he suggests.

"Gets one channel," Gibbs says as he heads into the kitchen. Ziva and Tony exchange pained looks.

"Can you have Kate drop off some books?" she asks him.

"Will do. I'll have her pick up the travel dvd player and some movies, too," he replies, pulling out his cell phone.

* * *

Tony had figured they would be there for two days, maybe three at most, while the new director smoothed things over with Eli David. He refused to leave Ziva alone to go to work and Gibbs immediately rejected the idea of her going to the NCIS office, so McGee drives over files for him to go through to help with their newest case. It's scut work, but for once, Tony doesn't care.

Somewhat surprisingly, Gibbs has a spare room, complete with a bed. The first night Tony sleeps on the couch in the living room. Ziva tells him he's being ridiculous and the next morning, he awakens to Gibbs standing over him with a smirk on his face. After that, Tony sleeps in the spare room with Ziva.

She cooks for them. When Gibbs tells her she doesn't need to do so, she explains that she is unaccustomed to being useless so she might as well feed everyone. "I enjoy cooking," she adds with a shrug, then hands him a piece of paper. "A grocery list. I will make osso bucco tonight."

By day four, Ziva is ready to scale the plain white walls. As Tony stares at phone records of one of their leading suspects, Ziva alternates between pacing back and forth like a caged tiger and sitting next to him on the couch with a book. Eventually, she closes her book with a snap and bounces the spine on her knee.

"Sweetcheeks," he says. "You're making me crazy here."

She puts the book down. "Sorry. At least you have something to do. I am just a sitting goose."

"Sitting duck," he corrects automatically.

She flashes him a flirtatious smile and says, "Maybe I can make you crazy in another way, yes?"

Just as she begins to climb into his lap and his hands reach out to caress the curve of her hips, the front door opens and Gibbs strides in. Ziva quickly slides back down next to him and Tony drops his hands and realizes this is what it's like for teenagers who get caught necking by a parent.

Only they're all adults and Gibbs isn't his parent. Either way, he's sure the look on his face is as pained as the one on Gibbs'. "Any news, Boss?" he asks.

"Deputy Director David is playing hardball," Gibbs replies, sounding frustrated. "Jenny - I mean, the Director - has Leon Vance talking to him now."

"Who?" The name doesn't ring any of Tony's bells.

"New deputy director. He and Eli are old buddies. Gotta sit tight for at least another day." At this, Ziva sighs audibly and leans her head against the back of the couch. "You, with me," Gibbs says, pointing at Ziva. She gives Tony a questioning look but he can only shrug in response. Gibbs leads her toward the basement. Tony shrugs again and returns to the call log in front of him.

When she reappears, it is hours later. Her eyes look suspiciously red-rimmed, but when he asks her what they were doing, she says, "Did you know he is building a boat?"

"Yeah. He have you work on it?"

"Yes. It was soothing, actually." She sits back down on the couch next to him. "How will he get it out of the basement?"

Tony huffs out a short laugh. "No clue. It's not the first boat he's built down there, either. One of the big mysteries of Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"Gibbs is a good man." With that, she picks up her previously discarded book and opens it.

* * *

A few years later, he asks her what she and Gibbs had talked about that night. "Oh, you know, I told him all of my deep dark secrets," she replies with a smirk. "Are you jealous?"

He parries her smirk with one of his own. "No."

"I did most of the talking, I think mostly about my father and Ari," she says, her face taking on the regretful look it always gets when she mentions her half-brother. "Gibbs would chime in occasionally to remind me to sand with the grain of the wood. But I remember after, I felt so much better."

He wonders if he should be offended by this - after all, she could have talked to _him_ about any of that. Then he shrugs to himself. He's had conversations like that with Gibbs - done most of the talking, Gibbs saying very little, and still come away feeling less like the world was weighing on his shoulders.

* * *

On day five, Gibbs calls him from the office. "Get over here. And bring Ziva."

When they arrive in the bullpen, Gibbs immediately leads them up to the Director's office. Director Shepard delivers the verdict. "Your father is very angry with you, Ziva," she starts.

"I am angry with him," Ziva mutters.

"He kept talking about expelling you from Mossad and revoking your Israeli citizenship. But Deputy Director Vance talked him down. Instead, you have a new role at Mossad. You are now the Mossad liaison to NCIS. You'll work with Gibbs' team and make your reports to Officer Malakai."

Tony frowns, looking from Shepard to Ziva to Gibbs. _She what?_ Judging from the look on Gibbs' face, Shepard hadn't cleared this new team member with him. "Don't need another person on my team," Gibbs says.

Director Shepard returns his stare. "Doesn't matter if you do or not. You have one," she replies, her voice firm.

Gibbs' icy blue eyes tick toward him for a brief moment before they're back on the Director. "Rule 12."

"That's your rule, not mine." Director Shepard doesn't back down. After a silent battle of wills, Gibbs signals defeat by huffing, "Fine," and sweeping out of the office.

With Gibbs out of the office, the Director relaxes a little. "You'll have to move out of your apartment and find your own housing," she tells Ziva. Tony immediately begins thinking of how to convince her to move in with him.

As they leave the Director's office, Ziva looks relieved. "That is not as bad as I thought," she says. "What is Rule 12?"

"I told you that Gibbs has these rules, right?" She nods in confirmation. "Well, Rule 12 is that you're not supposed to date coworkers."

"So do we break up?" she asks as they descend the central staircase back down to the bullpen.

He shoots her a look. "Uh, no, Sweetcheeks. We started dating before we were coworkers, so I think we get grandfathered in."

Her brow furrows. "What does anyone's grandfather have to do with this?" she asks, and he almost laughs.

Before he can respond, Gibbs slaps the back of his head as he walks past them. "Your new desk," he calls to Ziva, gesturing at the tiny cube next to McGee.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Notes: Well hello there, everyone! I told you I'd finish this story. It's months late, but better late than never, yes? This is a very short chapter - a test drive, of sorts. I actually wrote most of it months ago but then didn't post it because 1. I thought it would be a longer chapter, and 2. I honestly didn't know where I was going next. Now I know. And there will be angst! And fun! And storylines that are familiar but also not! So stay tuned...

And please provide feedback so I know that I didn't tank my story simply because of lack of inspiration.

* * *

Chapter 13.

Ziva declines his invitation to move in with him while she searches for her own apartment. "We already spend all day together now. We will get sick of each other if we spend every night together as well," she explains after he protests her moving all of her belongings to Gibbs'.

"I'll never get sick of you, Sweetcheeks," he responds, giving her a peck on the tip of her nose.

"Even so," she says, scrunching up her nose at him. "We need rules, or this will not work."

They agree to this: No displays of affection at the office. No giving preferential treatment to each other. Work arguments stay at work, and arguments between the two of them are paused while they are working.

The rules seem simple enough to follow and he approaches the new arrangement with as much confidence as anything else in his life. "This is gonna work," he tells her. She looks dubiously at him but keeps any doubts to herself.

On her first official day as the Mossad liaison to NCIS, he finds himself riding the elevator up to the bullpen with Gibbs. Ziva is already somewhere in the building, getting her badge and the other typical first day activities. After greeting him, Tony is silent, knowing that Gibbs doesn't enjoy small talk.

Then, out of seemingly nowhere, Gibbs says, "I see any grab-ass, I'm having you transferred to Alaska." His warning still hanging in the air, the elevator dings and the doors open. Without a second glance at Tony, Gibbs strides into the bullpen. Tony is left to admire his impeccable timing.

* * *

It's a little awkward at first, but Ziva settles into her new role and finds that she fits in well with the rest of the team. McGee and Kate are both well-behaved, possibly because she had saved all of them by killing Ari. Abby, always wary of new people entering her little NCIS family, takes a while to warm up to her, but eventually comes around.

 _So this_ , he thinks, _is what it's like to have everything_.

As soon as he has that thought, he starts wondering when the other shoe will drop.


End file.
